The present invention relates generally to a body brace and, more particularly to a soft body brace.
Body braces are well known in the art and have been used in the past for corrective and/or supportive purposes.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,367 to M. E. Miller there is disclosed a body brace designed for corrective purposes comprising an outer layer of a hard substantially rigid plastic material and an inner layer of soft compressible plastic material, with the inner layer being bonded to the outer layer. The brace is shaped to engage a person's pelvis and includes an anterior portion and a vertically split posterior portion, releasable fastening means secured to the adjacent posterior portions to aid in securing the brace to a wearer and inwardly curved sections in both layers of the brace for engaging the iliac crests of the wearer, the inwardly curved sections having appreciably thicker compressible inner layers thereon. The brace is referred to in the field as the Boston Body Brace.
Another known type of body brace designed for corrective purposes comprises a shell which is sized and configured so as to circumscribe the trunk of the body and having a vertical length such as to extend at the posterior side from approximately the sacrum to approximately the eight dorsal and at the anterior side from approximately the pubic region to approximately the upper limit of the diaphragm, the shell being comprised of a flexible sheet of hard substantially rigid plastic material structured to provide a girdle having a continuous posterior side, overlapping anterior sides and lateral sides, the lateral sides containing indentations commencing at the posterior side extending forwardly therefrom and terminating at the anterior side and embodying laterally divergent portions above and below the identations dimensioned to receive, respectively, the lower part of the rib cage and the upper part of the pelvis, transversely-spaced, vertically disposed parallel stays fixed to the girdle at substantially equal distances from the ends of the overlapping anterior sides and cinches connected to the respective stays adjustable to constrain the girdle about the body. The device has become known in the field as the Boston Overlap Brace.
Both of the above described braces are classified as hard or rigid types of body braces.
The need exists for a brace for patients who need support and ease of application but cannot tolerate rigid compression as it compromises breathing or rigid three point pressure controls as it causes skin breakdown.